Pilate Washing His Hands, from Passio domini nostri Jesu Christi
Urs Graf, the Elder
c. 1503
Medium
Hand-colored woodcut on ivory laid paper with letterpress on verso, laid down on white laid paper
Dimensions
21.7 × 15.6 cm (8 9/16 × 6 3/16 in.)
Classification
woodcut
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
13326
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The Roman official Pontius Pilate is seen here washing his hands before a crowd, having failed to convince Christ to defend himself. With this action, Pilate claimed to rid himself of the blood of an innocent man, and thus hoped to absolve himself from all responsibility for the death of Jesus Christ.